Is this a Macmasteri?

[Katie13]

I ended up coming home with a juvenile Apisto. It was sold to me as a Macmasteri. It’s barely an inch long. He’s still settling in after being caught and the drive home. Can someone confirm? I’ll take more pictures as it gets older.

 

[Katie13]

More pics

 

[Drayden Farci]

A lot of your pics didn't come through. It's tough to tell when the fish is 1) young and 2) stressed visibly. Though the vertical black bands on the body are odd to me. I usually don't notice those on A. macmasteri as much as, for example, A. baenschi.

 

[Katie13]

This is where we are at the moment after having a night to settle in.

 

[Mike Wise]

Give it a couple of months to settle in and grow up.

 

[Katie13]

Give it a couple of months to settle in and grow up.

I’ve got in on some spirulina. Should I add astaxanthin in too?

 

[Mike Wise]

Live & frozen foods would be better.

 

[Katie13]

Live & frozen foods would be better.

It's frozen brine shrimp enhanced with spirulina. I'm about to mix up a new batch of gel food specialized for him. What are your thoughts on feeding him earthworms (no fertilizers, pesticides, etc).

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

It's frozen brine shrimp enhanced with spirulina. I'm about to mix up a new batch of gel food specialized for him. What are your thoughts on feeding him earthworms (no fertilizers, pesticides, etc).

Earthworms are good.

Have a look at <"What do we think of Red wrigglers">.

cheers Darrel

 

[Katie13]

I guess I’ll start using this as sort of a progress thread until I can get an ID. It looks like he’s grown the slightest of a bit using one of the rocks as a base for that. Seems to have more blue that I was having trouble getting to pop up that good. Anyway, here he/she is as of right now.

 

[Katie13]

Here are a few more pictures! Here are the ones that show him. I have others showing its personality goofing off! The wisteria makes a fun play space! I got some earthworms earlier. Might make the gel food later.

 

[Katie13]

What are everyone's thoughts on it being A. Ortmanni or similar?

 

[Mike Wise]

See reply #5. Definitely not A. ortmanni.

 

[Katie13]

See reply #5. Definitely not A. ortmanni.

It's going to have to grow a little before anything can be said for certain, but I definitely think it's A. Ortmanni or A. Steindachneri.

 

[TCMontium]

A bright colored bottom might make identification easier, instead of a dark one (like your black sand). Dark environment tends to make the fish become darker colored to blend in. Therefore pattern details and light colors are very hard to observe in detail in a black or dark brown environment than it is in light brown, green, yellow or white environments.

 

[Mike Wise]

Katie, you must be using some 70s era books as references, when A. steindachneri was believed to be A. ortmanni in the hobby and sold as such. A. ortmanni is a regani-complex species related closely to A. regani. Like A. regani, A. ortmanni has prominent rows of spots, top to bottom, over the entire caudal fin. I don't see this feature on any of the photos. Add to this the fact that A. ortmanni is not commercially available. It occurs outside commercial collecting locations. A. steindachneri is a very different fish that belongs in the steindachneri-group (pertensis-lineage). Males of this species have a double tipped caudal fin and a large flank spot that sits above (not on) the lateral band.

 

[Katie13]

 

[TCMontium]

I would say macmasteri looking at last photos.

https://www.einrichtungsbeispiele.d...acmasteri--weibchen--mit-aspidora__clara2.jpg

 

[Katie13]

I’ve been keeping the temperature as 76 degrees considering it in the middle. Thoughts as to what it should be?

 

[Mike Wise]

76°F / 24.5°C is fine for maintenance. Raising fry at that temperature generally results in a majority of females.